Reed parrotbill

Paradoxornis heudei

Photo by Coke Smith (Coke & Som Smith Photography)

Common name:
reed parrotbill (en); bico-de-papagaio-do-Yangtzé (pt); paradoxornis du Yangtsé (fr); picoloro del Yangtsé (es); Jangtsepapageimeise (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Paradoxornithidae


Range:
This Asian species occurs in two separate areas, one in north-eastern China, and across the border into Mongolia and Russia, and another in south-eastern China, along the Yangtze river.


Size:
These birds are 20-24 cm long and weigh 17-28 g.


Habitat:
These birds are found in reed beds, in freshwater lakes, rivers and streams. They occur from sea level up to an altitude of 800 m.


Diet:
Reed parrotbills mostly eat insects, but also seeds.


Breeding:
These birds nest in a cup-shaped nest, made of leaves and grasses, attached to the stalk of a reed. There the female lays 3-5 eggs, which are incubated for 12-13 days. The chicks fledge 12 days after hatching.


Conservation:
IUCN status - NT (Near-Threatened)
This species has a restricted breeding range and is described as locally common, but totally dependent on reedbeds. The reed parrotbill is likely to be declining throughout its range as a result of human encroachment, development and habitat degradation within reed bed habitats due to reed harvesting.

Puerto Rican tody

Todus mexicanus

Photo by Vanessa Ortiz (Talking Naturally)

Common name:
Puerto Rican tody (en); todi de Porto Rico (pt); todier de Porto Rico (fr); San Pedrito (es); gelbflankentodi (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Coraciiformes
Family Todidae


Range:
This species is endemic to the archipelago of Puerto Rico.


Size:
These birds are 11 cm long and weigh 5-6,5 g.


Habitat:
The Puerto Rican tody is found in almost all habitats available within its range, including rainforests, wet woodlands, dry scrublands and shaded coffee plantations, often near watercourses. They are found from sea level up to an altitude of 1.000 m.


Diet:
They mostly eat insects such as mantises, bees, wasps, ants, grasshoppers, crickets, beetles, bugs, moths, butterflies, dragonflies, flies, and also spiders. These birds are also known to take small lizards and fruits are often used to feed the chicks.


Breeding:
Puerto Rican todies are monogamous and nest in long burrows, excavated by both sexes in earth banks. The female lays 1-4 glossy white eggs, which are incubated by both parents for 21-22 days. The chicks are fed by both parents, and some times by helpers, and fledge 19-20 days after hatching. They only become fully independent 3 weeks later. Each pair raises a single clutch per year.


Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a small breeding range, but is described as common within this range. The population is suspected to be in decline owing to predation by the introduced Indian mongoose, habitat destruction and increasing use of non-shade coffee plantations

Baer's pochard

Aythya baeri

Photo by Lester Wareham (The Holding Tank)

Common name:
Baer's pochard (en); zarro-de-Baer (pt); fuligule de Baer (fr); porrón de Baer (es); Baermoorente (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Anseriformes
Family Anatidae


Range:
This Asian species breeds in the Amur and Ussuri basins, in south-eastern Russia and north-eastern China. It migrates south to winter from southern China, west to Bangladesh and eastern India, and south to Taiwan, Myanmar and occasionally Vietnam.


Size:
These birds are 41-46 cm long and weigh 650-700 g.


Habitat:
The Baer's pochard is found breeding in shallow lakes and freshwater marshes, but also in fast-flowing rivers, as long as there is rich aquatic vegetation where they can build a secure nest. Outside the breeding season in lakes, reservoirs, rivers, freshwater marshes, rice fields and in islands within freshwater lakes.


Diet:
They dive up to a depth of 2 m to hunt aquatic insects, molluscs, shrimps and fishes. They also eat algae, aquatic plants and seeds, especially during winter.


Breeding:
Baer's pochards breed in May-July. The nest is made of aquatic vegetation and placed in a tussock, in floating vegetation, in dense reedbeds or sometimes in the branches of trees. There the female lays 9-15 eggs, which she incubates alone for 23-28 days while the male guards the nest and collects food for the female. The chicks leave the nest soon after hatching, but remain with their parents for 2-4 weeks.


Conservation:
IUCN status - EN (Endangered)
This species has a very large breeding range, but the global population is estimated at just 5.000 individuals. The population is estimated to be undergoing a fast decline caused by hunting and habitat loss due to wetland destruction in both their breeding and wintering grounds.

Maui parrotbill

Pseudonestor xanthophrys

Photo by Michael Neal (Neal Studios)

Common name:
Maui parrotbill (en); bico-de-papagaio-de-Maui (pt); psittirostre de Maui (fr); pinzón loro de Maui (es); papageischnabelgimpel (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Drepanidae


Range:
This species is endemic to the island of Maui, in Hawaii, where it is only found on the north-eastern slopes of Haleakala.


Size:
These birds are 14 cm long and weigh 20-25 g.


Habitat:
The Maui parrotbill is only found in mountain mesic and wet tropical forest, at altitudes of 1.200-2.150 m.


Diet:
They are insectivorous, using their bill to remove the bark of small trees and scrubs and collect the insects found underneath. They are known to eat larvae and pupae of wood- and fruit-boring beetles, moths and other invertebrates.


Breeding:
Maui parrotbills breed in November-June. The female builds the cup-shaped nest, using lichens and small twigs. The nest is placed in the outer canopy forks of mature ohia trees Metrosideros polymorpha, up to 12 m above the ground. There the female lays 1 egg, which she incubates alone for 16-17 days while receiving food from the male. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 18-20 days after hatching, but remain with their parents for another 5-8 months.


Conservation:
IUCN status - CR (Critically Endangered)
This species has a very small breeding range and the global population is estimated at just 500 individuals. The population is suspected to be declining owing to the effects of invasive species and other threats, although the rate of this decline as not been estimated. The Maui parrotbill is mostly threatened by habitat degradation caused by the spread of feral pigs, which have also facilitated the spread of disease-carrying mosquitoes causing avian malaria outbreaks. Furthermore, having a mountain distribution that is close to the maximum altitude within its range, this species is potentially susceptible to climate change

Zebra finch

Taeniopygia guttata

Photo by Biswarup Satpati (Trek Nature)

Common name:
zebra finch (en); mandarim (pt); diamant mandarin (fr); pinzón cebra (es); zebrafink (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Estrildidae


Range:
This species is found throughout Australia, East Timor and southern Indonesia. A common cage bird, it has also been introduced to several other countries, namely Puerto Rico, Brazil, Portugal and the United States.


Size:
These birds are 10-12 cm long and weigh 12 g.


Habitat:
These birds are found in a wide range of habitats, usually near rivers or other water sources. These include dry grasslands and woodlands, saltmarshes, dry savannas, dry scrubland, pastures, agricultural land, rural gardens and urban areas.


Diet:
Zebra finches forage in large flocks, taking fallen or ripening grass seeds and also insects, especially during the breeding season.


Breeding:
They breed in October-April, varying according to rainfall. The female selects the nest site, which may be a small tree, a scrub, a cavity, a termite hill, a rabbit burrow, the nest of other birds or even open ground. She builds the nest, a loose dome made of a wide range of vegetable or even man-made materials collected by the male. There she lays 2-7 white eggs, which are incubated by both sexes for 12-14 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge18-21 days after hatching, but only become fully independent 2-3 weeks later.


Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is described as common or locally abundant. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats, and it may be expanding in range due to the introduction of artificial dams and water tanks in arid areas.

Rufous-cheeked nightjar

Caprimulgus rufigena

(Photo from River's Wild Notes)

Common name:
rufous-cheeked nightjar (en); noitibó-de-faces-ruivas (pt); engoulevent à joues rousses (fr); chotacabras carirrojo (es); rostwangen-nachtschwalbe (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Caprimulgiformes
Family Caprimulgidae


Range:
This African species is found from Angola, Zambia and Zimbabwe, through Namibia and Botswana and into South Africa and western Mozambique.


Size:
These birds are 24 cm long and weigh 50-60 g.


Habitat:
The rufous-cheeked nightjar is mostly found in dry savannas and open mopane and miombo woodlands, but also in dry scrubland, freshwater marshes, plantations and arable land. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 1.600 m.


Diet:
They are strictly insectivorous, taking beetles, butterflies and moths, cockroaches, termites, mantids, lacewings, grasshoppers, wasps and ants.


Breeding:
Rufous-cheeked nightjars breed in September-March. They nest in a natural, shallow depressions in coarse soil, where the female lays 1-2 light reddish-brown eggs with lilac markings. The eggs are incubated for 15-17 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 18-20 days after hatching.


Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is reported to be locally common. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats. The rufous-cheeked nightjar is in fact tolerant of areas disturbed by humans.

Red-billed chough

Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax

(Photo from Wikipedia)

Common name:
red-billed chough (en); gralha-de-bico-vermelho (pt); crave à bec rouge (fr); chova piquirroja (es); Alpenkrähe (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Corvidae


Range:
This species is found in the British Isles, in southern Europe from Portugal to Turkey, in Morocco and Algeria, and into the middle latitudes of Asia as far east as eastern China and Mongolia.


Size:
These birds are 37-41 cm long and have a wingspan of 68-90 cm. They weigh 270-310 g.


Habitat:
The red-billed chough is found in rocky areas, both on the coast, in river valleys and mountains, in pastures, grasslands, scrublands and low-intensity agricultural areas. They are found from sea level up to an altitude of 7.900 m, in the Himalayas.


Diet:
They mostly collect invertebrates from the ground, namely beetles, fly larvae, spiders and ants. They also eat the parasites of domestic mammals, grain and berries.


Breeding:
Red-billed choughs tend to breed in small, loose colonies, but will sometimes breed singly. The bulky nest is made of roots and stems, and lined with wool or hair. It is placed in a cave or similar fissure in a crag or cliff face. There the female lays 3-5 creamy eggs with brown spots, which she incubates alone for 17-18 days while receiving food from the male. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 31-41 days after hatching. Each pair raises a single brood per year.


Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has an extremely large breeding range and the global population is estimated at 300.000-1.500.000 individuals. The population is estimated to be in decline following noted decreases in the European population, but this represents just 25-50% of the global population and not all countries show the same trend, so the overall trend is uncertain.